Chalcolithic temple of Ein Gedi
 Chalcolithic temple above spring and modern Kibbutz Ein Gedi | |
  Shown within Israel | |
| Location | Israel |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°28′05″N 35°23′21″E / 31.467956°N 35.38922°E |
| Type | Temple |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Periods | Chalcolithic |
| Cultures | Ghassulian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1957, 1962, 1964[1] |
| Archaeologists | Yohanan Aharoni Yosef Naveh Benjamin Mazar |
| Condition | partially restored |
| Management | Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
| Public access | yes |
The Chalcolithic temple of Ein Gedi is a Ghassulian public building dating from about 3500 BCE. It lies on a scarp above the oasis of Ein Gedi, on the western shore of the Dead Sea, within modern-day Israel. Archaeologist David Ussishkin has described the site as "a monumental edifice in terms of contemporary architecture".[2]
Discovery and excavation
The temple was discovered in 1956 by Yohanan Aharoni during an archaeological survey of the Ein Gedi region. Yosef Naveh carried out a trial excavation in the following year, finding animal bones, flint flakes, shells and sherds identifying the site as a public building from the Chalcolithic-Ghassulian period, possibly a shrine. Systematic exploration of the temple started in 1962 under the supervision of Benjamin Mazar, part of the Ein Gedi excavations carried out by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Exploration Society.[1] No domestic ware nor remains of dwellings were found at the site, while its character and plan resemble the Chalcolithic sanctuary found in stratum XIX at Megiddo, confirming its identification as a temple.[3]
Layout and findings
The excavations at the temple site have unearthed a compound consisting of a main building on the north, a smaller one in the east, and a small circular structure, 3 metres (9.8 ft) in diameter and probably serving some cultic purpose, in the center. The entire complex was enclosed by stone walls preserved to a considerable height, linking the buildings into one rectangular unit. In the southern wall stood a gatehouse leading to the spring of Ein Gedi, and a smaller gate in the northern wall, next to the small building, led to another spring in the Nahal David valley.[3] Reaching the cliff walls on three sides, it appears the temple was adapted to the topography.[4]
The main building was a 20 metres (66 ft) by 5.5 metres (18 ft) broadhouse, i.e. it had the entrance in one of its longer walls, in this case the southern wall. Opposite the entrance stood a hoof-shaped niche surrounded by a stone fence. Within were found animal bones, sherds, an accumulation of ashes and the clay statuette of a bull (or ramCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
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Bibliography
- Mazar, Benjamin (1993). "En Gedi — The Chalcolithic Enclosure". In Stern, Ephraim (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. Vol. 2. Jerusalem, Israel: The Israel Exploration Society, Carta. p. 405. ISBN 965-220-211-8.
- Moorey, P. R. S. (October 1988). "The Chalcolithic Hoard from Nahal Mishmar, Israel, in Context". World Archaeology. 20 (2). Taylor & Francis, Ltd: 171–189. doi:10.1080/00438243.1988.9980066.
- Shanks, Hershel (May–June 2008). "Ein Gedi's Archaeological Riches". Biblical Archaeology Review. 34 (3). Washington, D.C.: The Biblical Archaeology Society: 58–68.
- Usishkin, David (1971). "The "Ghassulian" Temple in Ein Gedi and the Origin of the Hoard from Nahal Mishmar". The Biblical Archaeologist. 34 (1). American Schools of Oriental Research: 23–39. doi:10.2307/3210951. JSTOR 3210951.
- Usishkin, David (1980). "The Ghassulian Shrine at En-gedi". Tel Aviv. 7 (1–2): 1–44. doi:10.1179/033443580788441071. ISSN 0334-4355.
External links
- ^ a b c Ussishkin (1980)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Richeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Mazar (1993)
- ^ a b Ussishkin (1971)
- ^ Moorey (1988)